Funerary Sandals Egypt. Courtesy Met Museum

Jewels as culture and continuity

to adorn and invest

From savage to human

both universal and singular
Pair of Ear Pendants,13th–16th century
Gold spiral with double lion-griffin-head terminal,1st half of the 4th century B.C.

Jewels, much like the mountains they come from

flow across culture and country

Sumerian earrings, going back 5000 years

dating back to 2600 BC.
Earrings recovered from royal tomb in Sumeria
Gold headdress of the Minangkabau people of Sumatra Indonesia

Jewellery reflects a culture’s obsessions

Often, they were used to signify status.

Some common motifs, materials and meanings

persist throughout the world.
Gold necklace, bracelet and earrings of the Akan Peoples of Ghana, Africa

In the ancient world, jewels were the equivalent what brands do for us today: afford prestige, become a social marker and a way to convey messages without speaking.